Make your story a good one. Image: http://www.thegirlcreative.com/a-new-year-free-printable/

There’s a meme going around on Facebook and Twitter. It says: “Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.” (Apparently, the quote is by Brad Paisley and was written in 2013)

I’m not sure that every day is going to provide a great story. That was definitely the case today, or it was until this afternoon.

The fact is today started out as mundane. I top-dressed the lawn, went to the gym, had a beer and some lunch and then drove to the shop with Rita.

As we’re running a fund-raising sausage sizzle for Victoria Park Soccer Club on Saturday we bought 10 boxes of bottled water. The trolley and our hands were full to overflowing so I put my mobile phone and keys in the top compartment of the trolley.

After arriving at the car we loaded the water into the boot and then drove home at a leisurely pace. And the moment I opened the car door to get out I realised I’d left my mobile in the shopping trolley.

Shiiiiiiiiiiiittttttt!

I panicked, realising that I needed to get back to the carpark. And fast!

I started the car and reversed down the drive like a maniac. The engine roared as I raced back to the shopping centre breaking all sorts of speed limits and road rules along the way. Then we got stuck behind a family out for a leisurely New Year’s Day drive. They were going la-la-la-la, I was going fa-fa-fa-fark!

After what seemed like an eternity we screeched into the carpark, getting almost airborne over the speed humps. Finally we were at the shopping trolley bay. As Rita got out I scanned the trolleys.

Nothing!

Then Rita lifted a small red flap on one of the trolleys, and there it was. My phone with all of my credit cards and money still intact.

I haven’t felt relief like that in ages.

I wish I could say that I maintained a detachment to physical possessions. I didn’t. I wish that I could say that I could do without my phone. I can’t. For me, it contains so much that’s important to how I run my life. Add to that I keep it in a phone cover that includes my main credit cards, office swipe card and driver’s licence. Lose my phone and I’ve effectively lost my wallet.

So I’ll take this little scare as a reminder to be more careful. Inattention, in all of its forms, can be costly.

Smartphones are useful but not if they get in the road of true connection. Image: Micah Maziar http://www.flickr.com/photos/mzwp/

In June of 2013 I watched the Eagles play the Bombers at Patterson Stadium. At the time the Bombers were embroiled in a drugs scandal.

The game was a cracker.

At half-time the Eagles led by just 3 points. By three quarter-time they’d manage to push that margin out to 17.

With Job Watson being jeered every time he went near the ball the Bombers had a lot to do. But it was clear they were far from beaten.

It was edge-of-the-seat stuff.

As you probably know, I like to observe. And through the course of this pulsating game I’d spotted a young kid sitting not far from me.

He was playing on his iPhone.

While the rest of the crowd booed and cheered and tried to will their team over the line he was hunched over his phone seemingly oblivious to the theatre that surrounded him.

Now I’m no stranger to technology but I felt a sense of sadness mixed with outrage.

I was sad that this young bloke was missing the spectacle of a titanic struggle and I was outraged that someone had paid good money for a ticket only to have the kid ignore the whole match.

Over the months since I’ve become more acutely aware of our apparent addiction to small screens.

And it’s not just young people.

It’s people of my age and older who are addicted to iPhone notifications but won’t do anything to stop them. It’s tourists who visit the Grand Canyon and see the whole thing through the screen of their smartphone camera. And it’s people who go out to dinner with their phones next to their plate, the whole time taking sneaky peaks to see if they’ve received a text or Facebook notification.

I see this addiction as robbing from our families and communities a sense of deep connectedness.

But there is a better way.

That better way is to make using technology a choice, not a reaction.

Along with a few other goals, I’ve made a decision to spend less time with my phone this year. Sure, I’ll still use it – probably more than most – but it will be on my terms.

I’ve already setup Do Not Disturb so that the phone isn’t buzzing and blinking during the night.

And I’ve stopped taking it to the toilet with me. Seriously, I never did that. It’s weird.

So what’s your take; do we use our smartphones and tablets too much?

Footnote: If you’ve read this far you deserve to know that the Eagles lost 13.13.91 to 15.8.98. It really was a sad night.